Justice Ginsburg bemoans partisan divide in Congress

FILE - In this Jan. 30, 2018 file photo, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg answers a law student's question as she participates in a "fireside chat" in the Bruce M. Selya Appellate Courtroom at the Roger William University Law School in Bristol, R.I. Ginsburg has received a lifetime achievement award from a prominent Jewish organization. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia, File)

JERUSALEM — U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg says she hopes the traditional "bipartisan spirit" of congressional hearings for judges will once again prevail rather than recent votes that have divided along party lines.

Speaking on Thursday in Jerusalem after the screening of "RBG," the hit documentary about her, Ginsburg said she would not address past or present personnel changes on the court, in reference to Justice Anthony Kennedy's upcoming retirement. But she bemoaned how partisan the process of picking a justice has become. She noted for instance that her strongest supporter when she was confirmed in 1993 was Republican Sen. Orrin hatch.

Ginsburg is in Israel to receive a lifetime achievement award from a prominent Jewish organization. Ginsburg, 85, often cites her Jewish heritage as a source of legal inspiration.